Another brutal escalation

The brutal, and unfortunately repetitive, escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine once again brings to the fore one of the longest-running conflicts in recent history, which began in 1967 after Israel's victory in the Six-Day War and the occupation of Gaza —currently blocked—, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

This is an entrenched situation with an unacceptable number of victims, whose solution necessarily involves compliance with United Nations resolutions and a negotiation that leads to the coexistence of two sovereign States.

The high point of this spiral occurred last week.

On Thursday, an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank resulted in the deaths of nine Palestinians and the wounding of 20 others.

This is one of the deadliest operations of this type carried out by the Israeli Army since the Second Intifada (2000-2005).

Hours later, another young Palestinian was killed near Jerusalem during a protest over these events.

A day later, a 13-year-old teenager killed seven people in a Jerusalem synagogue in what is the largest Palestinian attack in the past 12 years.

But these are just the two top examples from a recent period that coincides with the return to power of Benjamin Netanyahu, supported by an ultranationalist government, where in various episodes more than 30 Palestinians have already died.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was right this week to urge, in Jerusalem before Netanyahu, that all parties contribute to restoring calm to the situation, but he does so partly because neither Israelis nor Palestinians are on an equal footing. materials, nor the position from which they start is equitable.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine is the essential knot of the conflict, although it is true that there is a powerful Palestinian movement, Hamas, which wants not a negotiation but the disappearance of Israel.

But Netanyahu cannot hide behind this last argument, however real it may be, in order not to show any willingness to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority and harden the conditions of the occupation.

The facts confirm the deep concern generated by Netanyahu's alliance with Islamophobic parties, more than substantiated by his inclusion in the Government.

The desired, albeit extremely complicated, peace between Israel and Palestine is further away today than it was a month ago;

Netanyahu will have ensured his permanence in power thanks to undesirable elements, but he is causing a very serious damage outside and within his own country.

This is demonstrated by the massive demonstrations in Tel Aviv against his extremist government and that interpret Blinken's words before Netanyahu regarding respect for the judicial system, human rights, minorities and press freedom in terms of internal politics.